A report in The Guardian (16.02.18) talked about the growing source of urban pollution from household chemical products, perfumes, paints, formaldehyde and insecticides. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from household cleaners, personal hygiene products, paints and glues researchers have found significantly affects the air pollution as many of these products come from refined petroleum. The compounds are an important contributor to air pollution because when they waft into the atmosphere they react with other chemicals to produce harmful ozones. This type of pollution is unregulated, unlike emissions from vehicles. This is all about bottles and containers in our

I recommend you to read an interesting article written by Dr. Russell Blaylock, an American neurosurgeon, author and lecturer. Dr Blaylock describes the case of a child with disruptive behaviour in school whose mother was told the child should be prescribed Ritalin if he was to continue at school. The child was tested for food intolerances with positive results. Once the foods were removed from his diet his behaviour changed completely and he was able to return to school. Please read: ADHD or Food Intolerance

Joe Leech, a young dietician in Australia, was feeling frustrated that he was answering so many questions about how to lose weight, what was the best diet, how to deal with irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, Type 2 diabetes when many of these problems were due to eating too many calories or too much of a food that were causing intolerances. In addition, despite his advice, obesity was an ever-growing problem. He equally was aware of the contrast that in Uganda and other developing counties, many people do not have enough to eat, the resources to educate their children

Five danish students set up a biology experiment that is so brilliant that it has attracted international attention amongst biologists and radiation experts. The experiment came about because the students identified that they were experiencing difficulty concentrating in school and sleeping if they had their phone next to their heads. The simple experiment was to place 400 cress seeds in twelve trays. Place six trays in two rooms at the same temperature, with the same amount of water and sunlight over 12 days. The only difference was that one room was exposed to two Wi-Fi routers which broadcast the

A recent published study led by Professor Christopher Exley at Keele University examined brain samples from patients with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who had died and compared them to samples from individuals without an ASD diagnosis. They measured how much aluminium was in the samples and used fluorescence techniques to identify where the aluminium was in the samples. Professor Exley is quoted as saying that he was surprised at the “extraordinarily high” levels of aluminium in the ASD affected samples. On the microscopy studies they were able to see lymph and blood cells carrying aluminium

An article in The Guardian last week reported that Waitrose are the first UK supermarket to ban the sale of high energy drinks to under 16’s because of the high level of sugar and caffeine they contain and the effect this is having on the behaviour of children. The teaching union NASUWT last month called for a ban on the sale of these drinks to under-16s. They were referred to as “legal highs” that helped to fuel bad behaviour in schools.The family of a 25 year old who committed suicide late last year, are

On the 28th November 2017, there was a documentary, On Tour with Crohn’s Disease, on Radio One Newsbeat about the challenges of living with Crohn’s.  It followed Mark Holley, musician with the rock band Black Foxxes who was diagnosed with Crohn’s seven years ago. According to the NHS, in England the number of 15 to 29 year olds diagnosed has increased from 9,256 in 2007 to 29,624 in 2016. Age 29 is the most common age for being diagnosed with Crohn’s. Mark speaks openly about the struggles of trying

Professor Matthew Walker, a leading expert, originally from Liverpool and now director of the Centre of Human Sleep Science in California, revealed in an interview with the Guardian, that a lack of sleep in killing us. TV, computer screens, electric lights and poor work-life balance are some of the causes of sleep deprivation, defined as seven hours a night.  This has been linked to serious health issues such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and mental health issues. He recommends a non-negotiable eight hours sleep every night. Please read this enlightening article Sleep.

British Medical Journall article 4th November 2017 states Increased risk of cancer from PPI’s (proton pump inhibitors) used for reflux. The journal Gut published research which indicates an increased risk for cancer of 2.44 times, associated with PPI’s for reflux, which was not found in the use of H2 antagonists, such as Ranitidine. I wonder if some of these findings have also been affected by the fact that any long term “suppressed” inflammation caused by the immune system, is in itself a risk factor for cancer?

A comment in the BMJ 4 November 2017 advised to avoid antibiotics for sinus infections. NICE new guidelines recommend oral decongestants and paracetamol for acute sinusitis and avoid antibiotics. Tell this to a patient who has been unable to breathe and has been suffering with facial pain for a couple of weeks!! I am not recommending antibiotics to patients with sinusitis, we are all too familiar with the problems with overuse of antibiotics. However, we often manage to prevent upper respiratory inflammation, using the positive effects of dietary changes, methods of desensitisation and sometimes, anti-fungals if moulds are suspected

Two fascinating articles written by SnackSafely.com about allergies, that I think you will appreciate reading. The first speaks of research that indicates that 45% of adults with food allergies develop them in adulthood. Nearly Half of Adults with Food Allergies Develop Them as Adults The second shows there are studies indicating that the causes of allergies involve a complex interplay between genetics and our environment. Hopefully this research and finding will lead to treatment of food allergies and even prevention. Genome Study Provides More Clarity on Genetic Causes of Food Allergy If you need help with your allergies of

Scanning the journals is my favourite section in BMJ. This time the tone is "humble", as Medicine is coming around, slowly, to accept that previous guidelines established on so-called "evidence" were, once more, flawed. The topic is on fats. a) eating fats is related to lower total mortality and does not affect cardio-vascular disease! As I have been telling my clients for years, it is those carbs that are doing the damage - sugars especially. The message is: we can abandon the "saturated fat-cardiovascular disease" hypothesis with some certainty. b) High fruit, vegetable and legume intake was associated

Lady Gaga’s hit track Til it Happens to You, although not written about her recent revelation on social media that she has Fibromyalgia (FMS), could aptly describe her experience of living with it. The condition is giving her such “severe physical pain that it has impacted her ability to perform” so she has had to cancel her European tour due to begin next week. FMS is a chronic condition that causes pain and swelling in points all over the body. It is hard to diagnose and treat and many people with the condition find it difficult

We have guide dogs, hearing dogs and now allergy dogs. We are all too aware how life-changing guide dogs and hearing dogs can be for their owners giving them their freedom and independence. Six year old boy, Mason, who has suffered thousands of allergic reactions, even anaphlayatic reactions that have been life threatening, is about to have his own ‘guardian’ in the shape of a Golden Retriever called Storm. Storm is being trained to detect changes in Mason that are a sign he is about to have an allergic reaction and to warn Mason and others around

An allergy to peanuts is recognised as one of the most severe food allergies due to its prevalence, persistency and potential severity of allergic reaction which can result in anaphylaxis. The principle treatment at the moment is the use of an Epipen injection which must be carried at all times. However, Australian researchers have carried out a small clinical trial which has seen positive results in 82% of the children on the trial who had received the immunotherapy treatment had become tolerant to peanuts. At Allergy Medical UK we are aware of how effective immunotherapy is in ‘re-educating

A number of British allergy specialists were recently asked to share their views on allergy, its management and any optional measures to prevent it. Their views have been published in the magazine of Champneys, a group of health resorts well known for promoting healthy living. It is quite clear that, whilst a number of safe and effective methods of prevention of allergies exists, only a fraction of doctors in the UK know of them, recommend them or use them. Read Champneys article: Alternative treatments for those with allergies

Surprise, surprise! Mediterranean diet may be reducing risk of Alzheimer's. I must have seen at least 10 studies in the last two years that extol the virtues of eating lots of salads, vegetables, olive oil and fish, excluding most other common foods in order to reduce the risk of dementia or improve mental faculties, when Alzheimer's has been diagnosed. In a way this is not as extraordinary as it sounds: similar diets have been proven effective in reversing several so-called "auto-immune" diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease. In clinics like ours, such diets

I couldn’t help but be touched by the recent item on the BBC news about the death four years ago of Lisa Dennis at the age of 10 years. Lisa died following an asthma attack. Although she had an inhaler for an allergy, her parents were not aware she was an asthmatic. According to her family the word “asthma” was never mentioned. Dr Satish Rao of the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, who looks after difficult asthma cases, says “one of the biggest frustrations for us is the complacency among healthcare professionals about asthma in

Cupcakes have become extremely popular, thanks to Mary Berry to a large extent.  As delicious as they may be, one in particular has caused a rise in a food allergies.   The red velvet cupcake contains cochineal as its food colourant.  Cochineal is an insect, mainly found in South America and Mexico, that produces carmine acid to deter its predators.  This acid can be extracted from the body and eggs of the insect and when mixed with aluminium or calcium salts makes the carmine dye or cochineal.  This is used primarily as a food colourant and